The Rational Sciences Programme is designed for students ready to progress into the Islamic rational sciences through the guided study of key classical texts in Logic and Theology.

Isāghūjī — Foundations of Logic
Umm al-Barāhīn by Imam al-Sanusi — Rational Theology
Al-Bidāyah fī Uṣūl al-Dīn by Imam al-Sabuni — The Māturīdī Tradition
Selected passages from al-Ḥikam by Imam Ibn ʿAṭā’illah — Spiritual Refinement

The programme focuses on understanding the reasoning and methodology behind classical Sunni theology, while developing stronger habits of reading, analysis and disciplined study.

Throughout the year, three foundational texts will be studied in tandem, allowing each discipline to illuminate and reinforce the others.

Isāghūjī – The Foundations of Logic (Manṭiq)

For centuries, Isāghūjī has served as the traditional gateway to the science of logic. Students will develop the principles of sound reasoning that underpin the study of Kalām and provide the intellectual framework necessary to engage theological arguments with clarity and precision.

Umm al-Barāhīn of Imam al-Sanūsī – Rational Theology

One of the most celebrated introductory texts in Sunni theology, Umm al-Barāhīn presents the rational proofs underpinning orthodox belief. Through careful study, students will gain a deeper understanding of the reasoning behind the core doctrines of Islam and learn to engage contemporary theological questions through the lens of the classical tradition.

Al-Bidayah fi Usul al Din – Imam al-Sabuni – Mapping the Science of Kalām from the Maturidi School

This renowned primer surveys the breadth of Sunni theological discourse from the Maturidi perspective, introducing students to the major discussions, principles and debates that have shaped the discipline. Studied alongside the other texts, it provides the wider framework within which theological concepts are understood and connected.

al-Hikm – Imam ibn Ataillah

Alongside these works, students will study selected aphorisms from al-Ḥikam of Ibn ʿAṭā’illah, exploring how theological certainty should cultivate humility, sincerity and spiritual refinement. The study of theology is therefore never separated from its ultimate purpose: drawing nearer to Allah through sound belief, sincere worship and refinement of the heart.

These are not simply famous books. They are among the texts through which generations of scholars were trained to think, reason and engage with the Islamic intellectual tradition. The objective of this programme is not only to study these works, but to learn from them in the manner they have traditionally been taught: carefully, systematically and under sustained scholarly guidance.

Who is it for?

Serious students who have completed Fard ʿAyn or an introductory Islamic studies programme and are ready to progress to a more rigorous level of study.